Guy sloshed wine in his haste to put down his goblet, then he pushed his chair away from the table so quickly it nearly toppled. Hattie bolted from her seat as well, and together they hurried to the gorgeous staircase which spiraled to the first floor.
Upstairs, Guy rushed her through a tour, pointing from one closed door to the next. “Guest bedroom. Guest bedroom. Water closet. My room.”
He opened the door to a pasha’s silken paradise in shades of blue from cornflower to navy. Hattie had but a moment to glance before he gathered her into his arms and kissed her breathless. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body full length against his hard form. His kisses tasted like wine and roast beef, succulent and delicious, and his hands roamed down her back to cup her bottom exactly where they belonged. She craved more of his touch, except on her naked flesh. But she didn’t mean to go quite that far—did she?
Guy lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her to the bed. Hattie inhaled the scent of lavender imbued in the bedding as he laid her upon it. She watched Guy shed his jacket, loosen his tie, remove his shirt collar and unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt. Soon, he would turn those busy hands to her gown, unfastening it to reveal her breasts. But how much further? Her moment of decision loomed closer.
Standing at the foot of the bed, Guy rested her heel against his thigh and began to unhook the row of shoe buttons. When they were free of confining leather, she wriggled her toes. Guy dropped the shoe and grasped her ankle to massage the arch of her foot with his thumbs. Heavenly! Tendrils of pleasure raced up her leg to settle between her legs. Hattie moaned in contentment.
Guy loosened her other shoe, but before he dropped it, she called out, “Wait! Wait.”
Hattie met his questioning gaze. “I want… I don’t want…” What the bloody hell did she want?
“To go only so far? Then we will stop just short of the act. There are ways to fully enjoy each other’s bodies without that part, you know.”
Maybe she did. Henry had been able to bring her to bliss with only his kisses and his skilled touch between her legs, but he had told her it was impossible to expect a man to stop there. If she loved him as she professed, she would give all of herself to him. That was the only way they could truly become one. Trusting in and incredibly aroused by the older man, young Hortense had naturally agreed.
“Let me demonstrate,” Guy continued. “Relax and close your eyes. Let me take care of you. I expect nothing but your pleasure. Tonight that is my only goal.”
He proceeded to massage her feet and legs until the stress of a day of standing and waiting on customers eased. He pushed her gown up to her waist as he did this, and even though he didn’t touch her private region, it purred louder and louder like the very happiest of cats.
Guy loosened the gown’s bodice and cradled her breasts through her camisole. The cotton was so sheer, they may as well have been naked, yet it maintained a thin wall of protection between his hands and her flesh. Guy lay beside her on the bed, pressing kisses to her jaw while toying with her nipples until they peaked.
“May I kiss them?” he enquired as politely as if asking to hold her hand.
“Yes,” she groaned. “Please do!”
The back of his dark hair filled her vision when he leaned to take one into his mouth. The fabric soaked through as he suckled, and the steady drum between her legs sped faster. Filaments of desire grew tighter, as he provided equal attention to her other breast, massaging the swell, sucking the nipple, then blowing cooling breath over damp fabric.
As if Guy had grown extra limbs to attend to her needs, one hand slid down her belly to touch the special spot at the apex of her thighs. He rubbed gently and even through her knickers electrical sparkles gathered there. Hattie’s breathing grew ragged. Whimpers escaped her. Her body arched, seeking more of his teasing yet insistent touch. She wanted it. No. She needed it, craved it with a fierce hunger, but Guy kept his finger a respectful fabric distance apart from her flesh.
Her hips arched and then, all at once, as easily as dropping from a great height, ecstasy tore through her, spiraling up and exploding. She gave a muffled cry into her forearm. For several moments, she lost herself in space, soaring, then drifting down to land softly in high-piled pillows.
Hattie emerged from bliss, gasping for breath, as her eyelids fluttered open. “Oh!” was all she could manage as she stared transfixed at Guy’s smiling face now looking at her. “That was…”
“Everything you ever wanted? Simply the best? Tell me how great.” His joking set her at ease, smoothing over the awkwardness of having allowed herself to lose control so completely in front of him.
“I’m glad you liked it.” He lay on his side, head propped on one hand, the other cupping her womanhood in a protective, or perhaps possessive, sort of way.
“How did you know precisely the spot…?” She shook her head, understanding that the answer was from experience. She did not want to picture Guy with other women—ever. It was an answer she need not hear.
Hattie reached for the front of his trousers. “Now I must return the, um, favor.”
He stopped her hand. “You do not have to unless you want to. Not tonight. Tit doesn’t always demand tat—at least it shouldn’t.” He paused before asking softly, “Did someone once expect things of you perhaps you weren’t ready to give?”
Hattie bit her lower lip, considering. “I was old enough to know my own mind, so I can blame no one but myself for what happened between
